Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and ranking Democrat Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut plan to continue their investigation of the government’s slow response to Hurricane Katrina. The senators want to finish the inquiry and issue legislative recommendations by February, when their House colleagues also plan to release findings.

Committee aides said the senators are likely to recommend legislative changes to the Stafford Act, which governs federal assistance to natural disasters. The panel also could recommend a bill to reorganize the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which was criticized for the government’s response to the hurricane.

Other issues mentioned in the story include changes to the first-responder funding formula; legislation to authorize some of the Second-Stage Review (2SR) provisions, such as the Undersecretary for Policy position; legislation to merge CBP and ICE; and chemical security and port security legislation.